Packing device



March 12, 1940. H. c. BOHNKE PACKING DEVICE Filed NOV. 22, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVENTOR.

Maw M WITNESSES BY mm m wmm -v ATTORNEYS.

March 12, 1940. H. c. BOHNKE racxme DEVICE Filed Nov. 22. 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNE'JJI'J INVENTOR. WW. fi/WMM 13,424

BY v 6. 0% Me-M wra fi 4 I ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 12., 1940 PACK IN G DEVICE Herman C. Bohnke, Carnegie, Fa, assignor to Superior Paper Products Company, Grafton. Pa a corporation of Delaware Application November 22, 1938, Serial No. 241,802

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the packing of arti cles in boxes or the like, and more particularly to devices for spacing the articles from one another.

In packing articles for shipment it isoften deother the package in which'they are shipped to prevent them from being broken 'or damaged. Various types of spacers or partitionsare used for this purpose, but generally either they are placed in the box first and the articles then inserted, or the articles are first placed in the box and the spacers then inserted between them. The spacers can not always be depended upon because they sometimes work loose or shift their positions, permitting the packed articles to strike together. Furthermore, it is difficult to pack some types of articles in this manner, especially when they are heavy and must be packed securely so that they can not move. In any event, the packing requires considerably more time and handling than I have found to be necessary.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a packing device of simple and inexpensive construction which securely locks articles in fixed position and spaced relation, which does not itself injure the articles, which can be quickly and easily applied to the articles, which is applied to the articles before they are placed in a packing box, which is used to lift the articles into the box, and only one of which is necessary for each box.

In accordance with this invention the packing device is formed chiefly from a paper-board -ember having a central portion for supporting 35 a plurality of laterally spaced articles and end portionsadapted to be swung up into upright position with the articles between them. These end portions are provided with laterally spaced recesscs for receiving the opposite. ends of the articles in order to lock them in position. Sheets of soft flex ble packing material are preferably secured to the end portions of the paper-board member in such a way that they, extend across the recesses therein. The articles to be packed 45 are placed on the central portionof the paperboard member while it is lying flat outside of the packing box. When the end portions are swung upwardly these sheets of packing material are pressed into the recesses by the ends of the articles being packed which are thereby protected from abrasion by the more rigid paper-board member. If the articles do not have fiat bottoms that permit them to sit upright on the central portion of the paper-board member before its 5 ends are raised, they can be supported by filler sirable or necessary to space them from one anpieces provided with notches in their upper surfaces for holding the articles upright. After the ends of the paper-board member have been raised to operative position, the entire packing device and the articles supported by it are lifted 5 as a unit and lowered into the packing box. The box is preferably of such size that this unit fits snugly therein so that the side walls of the box will hold the end portions of the packing device against the ends of the articles. I

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my packing device in open position; Fig. 2 is a side view of the packer with its ends in operative position; Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the i5 packer showing a washing machine wringer locked in place by the recesses in the ends of the packer; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a carton containing three wringers locked in place by my packing device; and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a modification of this invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, a sheet I of'paper-board or similar material has a flat central portion and integrally connected end portions. The points of connection between the central and end portions of the sheet are scored or otherwise weakened so that the end portions can be bent or swung upwardly, as shown in Fig. 2. The fiat central portion of this paper-board sheet is adapted to support a plurality of the articles that are to be packed and shipped, and is of such a width that the articles extend across it from substantially one of its end portions to the other. Although various types of articles can be and have been packed with this device, for the purpose of illustration the drawings show the packer formed for packing washing machine wringers 2 (Figs. 3 and 4) with which it has been very satisfactorily used. As indicated in Fig. 4, a plurality of these wringers are set on the central portion of the paper-board sheet in laterally spaced relation.

It is a feature of this invention that the wrlngers are locked in this spaced relation by means i of the end portions of the packing member as a whole. For this purpose these end portions are provided with laterally spaced recesses 3 and 4 which receive the opposite ends of the wringers when the end portions are swung upwardly into substantially parallel relation, as shown in Fig. 3. 59

In order to provide sufficient area of contact between the walls of these recesses and the ends of the wringers, the end portions of'the packing member are made relatively thick by securing to the upper surfaces of the ends of sheet I addiiii) ' sheet tional sheets or blocks 6 and I of paper-board or the like. Preferably, the recesses are formed only in these blocks so that the outside of the main l remains unbroken. The recesses may be open at their inner or lower ends, but their upper ends are preferably closed in order to hold the wringers down on the bottom of the packing member during shipment.

If the wringers are the same at both ends, the packing recesses that receive them can be alike in both end portions of the packing device. But where the wringers are provided at one end with projecting brackets 8, as shown in Fig. 3, for attaching the wringers to washing machines, recesses 4 are preferably increased in depth by securing a recessed narrow block 9 of paper-board or the like to the outer portion of block 1. The portion of each recess 4 that receives a bracket 3 need be no longer than suflicient to accommodate the bracket, but it is wider than the adjoining portion cf the recess in block 9 (Fig. 1) because the bracket is wider than the end of the wringer frame.

Prior to this invention it has often been necessary for washing machine manufacturers to buff or retouch the wringers received by them because their painted surfaces were marred in shipment due to abrasion by the members used to space them apart in the packing boxes. This difiiculty is overcome by my invention by the use of sheets of soft flexible packing material disposed between the ends ofthe wringers and the walls of recesses 3 and 4. Any suitable soft packing material may be used for this purpose, a sheet-like material known as Kimpak having been found especially satisiz-ictory. A small sheet of this packing material H is laid over each recess and fastened at its outer end to the underlying block 6 or 9 by a staple l2. Figs. 1 and 5 show packing material sheets i :1 over only two recesses so that the recesses can be shown clearly in full lines, but it will be understood that in actual practice all of the recesses are covered in this manner. Each sheet of packing material is wider than the recess it covers so that when it is pushed into the recess by the end of awringer, as shown in Fig. 3, it will prevent the sides of the wringer from coming in direct contact with the sides of the recess.

One of the principal advantages of this type of packing device is the speed with which articles can be packed with it. In the packing of washing machine wringers, for example, the wringers are placed on the central portion of the packer while it is lying flat. The end portions of the packing device are then swung upwardly in order to lock the ends of. the wringers in the packer recesses, as shown in Fig. 3. At the same time the packing device and the wringers that it supports are lifted as aunit and lowered into a packing box it. The box is of such size that the packing device fits snugly therein, whereby the end portions of the device are held in upright operative position by the side walls of the box as shown in Fig. 4. As soon as the box is closed and sealed it is ready for shipment. It is obvious that this method of packing wringers or other articles is very simple and rapid. It is not necessary to first put packing members in the shipping box and then insert the articles between them, and neither is it necessary to place the articles in the box and then try to insert packing members that will space the: articles apart and hold them securely in. position. With my packing device there is no danger of the packed articles working loose or striking against one another. Furthermore, the articles are protected by the sheets of packing material from abrasion by the paper-board packing member.

Some articles, such as certain types of wringers,

have rounded bottoms that do not permit them to According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and construction of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiments. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A combined carrying and packing device adapted to be placed in a packing box for locking a plurality of articles in spaced relation therein, comprising a sheet of paper-board having a central portion, and end portions integrally hinged thereto, said central portion being adapted to support a plurality of laterally spaced articles, and a block of paper-board secured to the upper surface of eachof said end portions, said end portions and blocks being adapted to be swung up into substantially upright positions with said articles between them, and said blocks a being provided with laterally spaced recesses for receiving the opposite ends of said articles to lock them in position.

2. A combined carrying and packing device adapted to be placed in a packing box for looking a plurality of articles in spaced relation therein, comprising a paper-board member having a central portion and end portions adapted to be swung up into upright position, said central portion being adapted to support a plurality of laterally spaced articles, said end portions being provided with laterally spaced recesses for receiving the opposite ends of said articles to lock them in position, and protective sheets of flexible material secured to said end portions and extending across said recesses for padding said ends of, the articles.

3. A combined carrying and packing device adapted to be placed in a packing box for locking a plurality of articles in spaced relation therein, comprising a paper-board member having a central portion and end portions adapted to be swung up into upright position, said central portion being adapted to support a plurality of laterally spaced articles, said end portions being provided with laterally spaced recesses for receiving the opposite ends of said articles to lock them in position, and a protective sheet of flexible material secured to said end portions at the outer end of each recess and extending across the adjoining recess for padding said ends of the articles.

HERMAN C. BOHNKE. 

